International Trade
The India–UAE corridor is the heart of this practice, and the India-UAE CEPA its central instrument. We advise on rules of origin, tariffs and customs, supply-chain and entity structuring, compliance and trade remedies — and when trade moves across both sides, a single team advises on the whole of it.
India
Customs, CEPA, export controls, product standards, remedies & incentives
- Customs, Import/Export & Duty DisputesClassification, valuation, SVB, faceless assessment and CESTAT appeals.
- India–UAE CEPA & Rules of OriginCAROTAR due diligence, proof of origin and claiming preference.
- DGFT, Licensing & SCOMET Export ControlsIEC, import authorisations and SCOMET dual-use controls.
- BIS, Quality Control Orders & Product AccessBIS/ISI certification, the CRS and mandatory QCOs.
- Anti-Dumping, Safeguards & Trade RemediesDGTR investigations, duties, reviews and CESTAT appeals.
- Export Incentives — RoDTEP, EPCG & AARoDTEP, EPCG and Advance Authorisation under the FTP.
UAE
Customs, sanctions, CEPA, product registration & trade disputes
- UAE Customs, Import/Export & Free-Zone ComplianceGCC tariff, classification, valuation, free-zone vs mainland.
- India–UAE CEPA & Rules of OriginPreferential tariffs, proof of origin and corridor structuring (one bilateral page).
- UAE Sanctions, Export Controls & Dual-Use GoodsDecree-Law 43/2021, the EOCN, permits and sanctions exposure.
- UAE Product Registration, ECAS/EQM & Market AccessECAS/EQM conformity under MoIAT and sector registration.
- Supply, Distribution & Trade-Finance DisputesAgency law, letters of credit, guarantees and debt recovery.
Trade that crosses the corridor, advised by one team.
Trade between India and the UAE rarely sits in one jurisdiction. Origin is earned on one side and claimed on the other; an entity is incorporated here and supplied from there; a customs question in one country turns on a structuring decision taken in the other. Our presence on both sides means a single team carries the whole of it — CEPA eligibility, tariffs and customs, and the structuring that holds them together.
CEPA at the centre
The India-UAE CEPA, in force since May 2022, is the corridor’s primary instrument — preferential tariffs, services access and investment protection, advised end to end.
Tariffs & rules of origin
Classification, value-addition thresholds and origin certification aligned on both sides, so a preferential claim withstands customs scrutiny rather than failing at clearance.
Structuring across both
Entities, invoice routing and supply-chain architecture set up across India and the UAE at once, so the commercial model qualifies before it is implemented.
Sectors that gain most from the corridor — gold and jewellery, textiles, agri-food, pharmaceuticals, and technology and professional services — draw focused tariff, origin and structuring advice on both sides.
How we advise on cross-border trade.
Dual-jurisdiction bench
Experienced teams in both India and the UAE, advising across each side’s customs, trade and regulatory frameworks under a single relationship.
Origin-led analysis
Rules of origin treated as the starting point, not an afterthought — HS-code classification and value-addition tested before a tariff position is taken.
Defensible documentation
CEPA-compliant commercial papers, origin declarations and contracts built to withstand reassessment, audit and customs challenge.
Commercial alignment
Structuring measured against the client’s wider objectives — tariff efficiency balanced against risk allocation and operational practicality.
Preventive as much as reactive
Compliance frameworks and pre-clearance structuring designed to keep a model out of dispute, with escalation ready if it is challenged.
Enforcement-capable
Where a trade matter turns adversarial, advisory extends into administrative appeals, adjudication and arbitration across both jurisdictions.
The corridor’s contentious work draws on the firm’s international arbitration practice, extending trade advisory into enforcement across both jurisdictions.
Selected corridor matters.
- CEPA · free zoneAdvised an India-based manufacturer establishing a UAE free-zone entity — invoicing from India and shipping to a mainland UAE customer — on whether the structure preserved India-UAE CEPA tariff eligibility; the client implemented the model and leveraged the benefit.
- Rules of originAdvised an India-based pharmaceutical manufacturer on preferential access under the India-UAE CEPA for finished formulations, confirming the manufacturing process met the applicable rules of origin and preparing CEPA-compliant documentation and certificate-of-origin procurement.
- Services exportAdvised a technology services company on structuring cross-border service delivery between India and the UAE to capture CEPA services-chapter benefits, covering entity positioning, contract structuring and coordination with the DGFT on certification and documentation.
Trade across the corridor, answered.
What does the India–UAE CEPA change for trade across the corridor?
How are tariffs and customs treated when goods move between India and the UAE?
How do you structure a supply chain across both India and the UAE?
What happens if customs deny preferential treatment, or a trade dispute arises?
Prefer to start by jurisdiction?
The full India or UAE international-trade practice. Trade that spans both is run as a single relationship across the corridor.
International Trade — India
India-UAE CEPA structuring, rules of origin and customs & tariff advisory, trade compliance and trade remedies before the DGFT and CBIC, under the Customs Act 1962.
View the India practice
International Trade — UAE
The India-UAE CEPA and the UAE’s wider CEPA network, rules of origin, cross-border structuring, sector-specific advisory and customs disputes.
View the UAE practice
Contact us
We act for clients in both jurisdictions through offices in the UAE and India.